Bending tool for plastic tile



Feb. 13, 1962 w. SIEGERT BENDING TOOL FOR PLASTIC TILE Filed Feb. 9, 1959 FIG.

Waller S/egerf INVENTOR United States Patent ()fifice 3,020,590 Patented Feb. 13, 1962 3,020,590 BENDING TOOL FOR PLASTIC TILE Walter Siegert, Widewater, Alberta, Canada Filed Feb. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 792,103 2 Claims. (Cl. 18-19) This invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to a device for bending plastic tile.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient tool for forming plastic tile to follow the curvature and corners of various enclosures to substantially eliminate the need for corner molding strips, or the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bending tool for plastic tile that will enable such plastic tile to be installed in a much more attractive and effective manner, such tool being completely adjustable to enable the tile to be bent at any desired point.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a bending tool for plastic tile bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom plan view of a forming tool made in accordance with the present invention in operative use;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional View taken along line 2--2 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a bending tool for forming plastic tile made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a main base plate 12 having an outwardly convex arcuate surface 14 at one end and a pair of spaced apart parallel side walls 16. Each such side wall 16 includes an integral mounting post 18 having a transversely extending bore 20 within which the main shaft portion 22 of a depending stop member 24 is slidably received. A set screw 26 asso-, ciated with such mounting post 18 serves to secure such adjustable stop member 24 in any desired position relative to the arcuate surface 14 at the opposite end of the base plate. Each side wall 16 also includes a depending threaded lug 28 that supports the opposite ends of a transversely-extending clamp bar 32 that may be clamped with respect to the base plate 12 by means of thumb nuts 30.

One end of the base plate 12 includes a U-shaped handle 34 that is secured thereto, such as by rivets 36. The opposite end of the side walls 16 pivotally support the mid section of a bail shaped handle 38, such as by a transversely extending shaft 42. This handle 38 includes a pair of depending arms 40 that rotatably support a roller 44 upon an end shaft 46. As is clearly shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawing, the roller 44 is carried upon the arms 40 of the handle 48 for rotation about the support shaft 42 along a path concentric to the arcuate surface 14 of the base plate 12.

In actual use, a plastic tile 50 is clamped to the base plate 12 by means ofa clamp bar 32 and as determined by the position of the members 24 so as to locate the point of the tile to be bent directly adjacent to the arcuate surface 14. When bending a plurality of tile for filling a corner, a template is first manually made out of lead sheet so as to establish the proper position of the depending posts 24. Thereafter, it is only necessary to place each tile 50 between the clamp bar 32 and the base plate 12 with One end in abutment with the depending positioning lugs 24. As a result, by rotating the handle 38 toward the fixed handle 34, the roller 44 is able to engage the adjacent end of the tile 50 and direct it around the arcuate surface 14. In order to bend the tile without fracture thereof, the end of the tile is dipped into hot water or otherwise heated sufficiently so as to enable the roller 44 to conform it to the surface 14 with a minimum amount of effort and without cracking.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be Within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A tool for bending plastic tile comprising a base plate having parallel side walls, a rigid handle secured to the side walls and extending upwardly from one end of the base plate, said base plate having a tile forming surface extending along its bottom surface and upwardly in a curved convex arcuate manner over the opposite end of the base plate, a second handle pivotally supported intermediate its ends between the side walls of the base plate at said opposite end thereof and concentric with the curved convex arcuate shape part of the tile forming surface, said second handle extending upwardly from the base plate and having its lower ends depending below the tile forming surface, clamping means carried by the base plate and extending over the bottom thereof for releasably securing the plastic tile thereagainst and in association with thhe tile forming surface, a roller carried between the depending lower ends of the pivotally supported handle for rolling movement along an arcuate path to bend the tile over the curved convex arcuate part of the tile forming surface, whereby the two handles may be used to suspend the base plate and the tile into a heated medium and worked to form the plastic tile.

2. A tool according to claim 1, in which adjustable stop means are carried on said base plate for abutment with one end of a tile while the opposite end of the tile is extended between the roller and the tile forming surface of the base plate for movement by said roller into conforming engagement with the curved arcuate shaped surface part of the tile forming surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 758,897 Budd May 3, 1904 1,265,102 Morris May 7, 1918 1,269,081 Helmold et a1 June 11, 1918 1,272,552 Spencer July 16, 1918 1,419,755 Potter June 13, 1922 1,535,759 Beans et a1. Apr. 28, 1925 

